As we mull and ponder the moves Kevin Colbert and Omar Kahn will make over the next few months to keep the Steelers’ competitive, we must remember that the Steelers are far away from just a one year fix. At face value, this team is good. The offense will still have weapons without Mike Wallace, the running back situation without Mendenhall will still be adequate and Ben can sling the ball with the best of them. The defense was number one in the league and that leads man to see that the Steelers have a plethora of talent.

But look at the teams in the playoffs, specifically the Championship games and you see where the Steelers lack the edge to just flip a switch on an easy 2013 run.

The Steelers are going to lack playmakers next season aside from a healthy Troy Polamalu, which is in itself a risk. By playmakers, I mean guys who force opposition to fundamentally shift the way they approach the game. The Ravens have Ray Rice and Ed Reed, two players you can key on but will produce. Reed and Ray Lewis are arguably on their last legs but the Ravens production thus far shows their impact.

The Patriots biggest playmaker their offensive system, designed by a coach who has one of the top three quarterbacks of all time to throw the ball. You can’t hold the Patriots to under 20 points unless you play a 4-3 defense with four great pass rushers, aka why only the Giants and occasionally the Jets have their number in recent memory.

The 49er’s now have Collin Kapernick and on defense, Patrick Willis is arguably the best linebacker in the league. The 49′ers are the 2009 Steelers all over again: Dominant defense with almost every player playing in their prime, playmaking quarterback with fantastic weapons forcing a defense to take risks every down.

The only team I see like the Steelers are the Atlanta Falcons, a solid overall team that doesn’t possess playmakers, but as a team is just superior at almost every position. The Steelers though don’t have the talent Atlanta does and this is why the Steelers are at home and the Falcons are the number one team in the NFC.

I am not saying the Steelers are doomed. The NFL is all about health and “Any Given Sunday” which is why no one goes undefeated and the Giants at 9-7 can win the Super Bowl. But the Giants got lucky in games and played 110% in the last weeks of the season. Honestly, that is what the Steelers need if they wish to win another Super Bowl with the current team in place.

The draft will yield talented players, however aside from Ben Roethlisberger no Steelers’ rookie has truly been a game changer in year one. The Steelers are entering a new era of transition, not rebuilding. The team will be competitive and playoff worthy.

As we mull and ponder the moves Kevin Colbert and Omar Kahn will make over the next few months to keep the Steelers’ competitive, we must remember that the Steelers are far away from just a one year fix. At face value, this team is good. The offense will still have weapons without Mike Wallace, the running back situation without Mendenhall will still be adequate and Ben can sling the ball with the best of them. The defense was number one in the league and that leads man to see that the Steelers have a plethora of talent.

But look at the teams in the playoffs, specifically the Championship games and you see where the Steelers lack the edge to just flip a switch on an easy 2013 run.

The Steelers are going to lack playmakers next season aside from a healthy Troy Polamalu, which is in itself a risk. By playmakers, I mean guys who force opposition to fundamentally shift the way they approach the game. The Ravens have Ray Rice and Ed Reed, two players you can key on but will produce. Reed and Ray Lewis are arguably on their last legs but the Ravens production thus far shows their impact.

The Patriots biggest playmaker their offensive system, designed by a coach who has one of the top three quarterbacks of all time to throw the ball. You can’t hold the Patriots to under 20 points unless you play a 4-3 defense with four great pass rushers, aka why only the Giants and occasionally the Jets have their number in recent memory.

The 49er’s now have Collin Kapernick and on defense, Patrick Willis is arguably the best linebacker in the league. The 49′ers are the 2009 Steelers all over again: Dominant defense with almost every player playing in their prime, playmaking quarterback with fantastic weapons forcing a defense to take risks every down.

The only team I see like the Steelers are the Atlanta Falcons, a solid overall team that doesn’t possess playmakers, but as a team is just superior at almost every position. The Steelers though don’t have the talent Atlanta does and this is why the Steelers are at home and the Falcons are the number one team in the NFC.

I am not saying the Steelers are doomed. The NFL is all about health and “Any Given Sunday” which is why no one goes undefeated and the Giants at 9-7 can win the Super Bowl. But the Giants got lucky in games and played 110% in the last weeks of the season. Honestly, that is what the Steelers need if they wish to win another Super Bowl with the current team in place.

The draft will yield talented players, however aside from Ben Roethlisberger no Steelers’ rookie has truly been a game changer in year one. The Steelers are entering a new era of transition, not rebuilding. The team will be competitive and playoff worthy.

And Pouncey was a difference maker in year 1. Unless you can go to the Pro Bowl without making a difference.

There is no way to diagnose a team as Super Bowl or not Super Bowl-worthy 9 months before the season starts. All we can do is evaluate what we know and then see how things begin to play out once the season starts.

It's ridiculous to think that the Steelers have no chance of going far next year. Just getting players healthy makes them much better. If they lose Wallace and Mendenhall, there's a chance it could be addition by subtraction. Rookie RB can make an immediate impact in this league. Replacing Wallace's speed will be difficult. The heart with which he plays is a different story. I can't think of a Steeler in recent memory that has played with less heart and determination than Mike Wallace. An injection of desire is something this team needs badly. Hines Ward toughened and willed this team to compete. We need players that talk less and produce more. Particularly at WR.

Never believe that a team with this many winners has no shot. They need to show what they're made of this year, but I think they're going to show everyone that they're far from done.

Last year 12-4 and an early exit, and lots of injuries to key players. This year 6-3 and then key injuries and an 8-8 record. I know we are older in several key positions, but I think we can make a run if #7 can stay healthy, adapt to the new system (similar to what he was doing during that 3 game winning streak) Haley can adapt a little to play to his QBs strengths, Tomlin has to "come down" on some people, a little luck would be good too. We are not a bad team, but we are not a dominant team either. We need to win some close games that we lost this year, and we need #7 to be the #7 of two-three years ago, or at least the #7 of the small sample we had at 6-3.